Sai's Past
by Reina Ariadne
Summary: "Come with me. You'll be useful to our cause." The boy looked up at the older man, and put his hand in the other's firm grip. All the doubts and unanswered questions- who was he? What was his name? Did he have a family? - immediately left his mind as he looked up at the man who had taken his hand and took him in. Danzo-sama was his family, the only family he'll ever need.
1. Chapter 1

**Naruto**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

**Summary: Sai's past. His first meeting with Danzo.**

**A/n: I don't really know what to say about this story... It's basically the past that you've never seen. I'm not very good with writing sad or full-of-emotion stories, but I'll try my best. Tell me what you think of this first chapter! It'll really inspire me to write about the next chapter!**

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His first memory was his first meeting with Danzo-sama. He could remember that fateful day as clearly as if it happened only yesterday. He remembered looking up into a face, old and weathered from years of being an assassin, one eye and hand covered in bandages.

He was sitting on the ground, crying loudly as little boys at the age of 4 do, surrounded by rubble and carnage of what was seemingly a house, fires still blazing.

How he didn't get killed in the fire, how he got there in the first place, and who rescued him, he did not know.

He was 4 then.

He didn't know if he used to have a name, or what his parents looked like- those meaningless memories were long forgotten, if he even had memories of before that day.

Danzo-sama had smiled wryly down at him. "Come on boy," he said in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Come with me. You'll be useful to our cause."

The boy looked up at the older man, and put his hand in the other's firm grip. All the doubts and unanswered questions- _who was he? What was his name? Did he have a family?_ - immediately left his mind as he looked up at the man who had taken his hand and took him in.

Danzo-sama was his family, the only family he'll ever need.

Danzo studied the young boy's face, tear-streaked and covered in dirt and soot from the fire that was still blazing in the background. The boy stared back, unflinching, his face filled with hope and trust, not a shred of fear in his expression. In his small hand, he clutched a kunai*, covered in blood and dirt, yet the glint of metal could still be seen in the moonlight.

_Just like this boy_. Danzo knew, from many, many years of experience, that under that *open, honest face, there lay a cold-blooded ninja that would do anything for him and him alone, given the right training.

Danzo smiled. Here was another suitable candidate for the Root.

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_*kunai: a dagger, or knife used by all ninja. It is slightly longer than half your arm, and has a round "circle" at the end of the handle. The handle is often wrapped in bandages._

_*Danzo is actually comparing the boy's "open, honest face" to the blood and dirt that was on the kunai, and "cold-blooded ninja" to the still-clean areas of the kunai... Cos we all know that Danzo hates purity and innocence._

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**A/n: So this is how Sai entered the Root. I don't know how else to make him "forget" his real name, so I just assumed he was too young to remember. I think forgetting your own name is kind of impossible, even if you were a ninja in the Root. :3 I don't think the storyline here was thought out well, so if you could point out some thhings that don't seem logical or would like changed, that would be great :)**

**Next chapter will be Sai's meeting with Shin. Many years would have already passed, I wonder how will Sai turn out?**


	2. Chapter 2

**Naruto**

**Disclaimer: Don't own, and never will :(**

**Summary. Sai's first meeting with Shin! **

**A/n: Sorry for the long wait... Like I said, it's a really important academic year for me this year so there's a really strict ban on computers in the house now... I'm sorry! *hides behind computer screen* A... Anyway, please enjoy this chapter as a humble and sincere apology of my extreme lateness...**

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"A name is not something that belongs to you. It is just a word that represents you and that you respond to for sake of convenience, nothing more." This sentence was repeated to him almost every day for the past two years since he had entered the Root.

His new name was decided to be Saito, but as Danzo-sama always told him, he must not get attached to the name and had to always be ready to change his name at will.

He was 6 now.

Although he had trained alongside several other Root members of the same age for the past two years, he had not established any close relationships with any of them.

However, while he was in the Root, he had discovered an innate talent for drawing and painting, and always spent his free time sitting quietly at the edge of the training arena to sketch the trainees in action.

It made him feel at peace somehow, if he could capture the world in pictures, instead of letting each fleeting moment slip by.

Just like his existence. He still didn't know what his mission in life was, nor what he wanted to achieve in the future. But one thing was for sure.

He would serve Danzo-sama with his entire being. That was the least he could do.

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He was sketching like he always did in his usual spot at the sidelines of the training arena when out of the blue, a cheerful-sounding voice unexpectedly piped up behind him.

"Whoa, that's amazing! Are you sure you're only six?"

Startled, Saito spun around to face the owner of the chirpy voice. A boy about his age was peering down at his drawing.

He had pale violet hair tipped with indigo at the ends, an unusual colour among the commonly-seen black and brown hues in the Root. His eyes, Saito noted, were the same jet-black colour as his own, but instead they shone with mirth, a sharp contrast to his own wary ones.

"Saito, this is Shin," Danzo said, coming up behind the boy.

"Shin" grinned down at him, making Saito inhale sharply.

That grin, so bright and lively lit up the surroundings around him, so unique in comparison to the emotionless, sombre expressions that were always on the faces of the older Root members.

In that moment, Saito decided that he wanted to capture that smile in his sketchbook, no matter what it took.

He only hoped that he had enough talent to express it in its full glory.

"From today, the two of you will live together as brothers, until the day of your initiation test, when you officially become a full member of the Root," Danzo continued.

Saito looked up at Shin, who grinned even more widely. "Nice to meet you, Saito nii-chan!" he laughed, holding out a small hand.

Shin's infectious attitude affected even Saito, who had the sudden urge to return the smile. So putting his hand in Shin's, Saito smiled back tentatively, making Shin and even Danzo's eyes widen in surprise.

"Nice to meet you, Shin... Nii-san."

Watching them, Danzo smiled inwardly. His plan was just beginning.

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**A/n: I apologise for another short chapter! *hides behind computer screen again* But this short exchange is to show ya'all awesome people about how Saito (or Sai as we all know him) meets and quickly feels some chemistry between them (NOT hinting at a pairing!). Now what exactly is Danzo's plan, hmm? **

**Please R&R! :)**


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